Michigan

Future bright without Carr

ORLANDO, Fla. -- An anachronistic college football coach exits the stage today, much in the same sense as a Bobby Bowden or Joe Paterno might someday, just with fewer decades.

Other than the thanks-for-your-service message, the general feeling on his 4,614th and last day as Michigan football coach is that Lloyd Carr got just as much mileage out of one national championship as Jud Heathcote did in staying too many years as Michigan State's basketball coach, except Heathcote gave us wonderful personalities such as Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser and Carr gave us a closed system that never worked in the information era, when cloistered responses to bad beats just made things fester.

There were plenty of those bad beats to go around the past few years, and one more probably looming today.

On the eve of his final day as sideline boss, Carr was typically reserved Monday, following the doctrine stamped into his players. He talked a little about the undefeated freshman basketball team he coached at Detroit Nativity High School in 1968-69 and about working to minimize nostalgia as a focal point of today's Capital One Bowl against Florida -- as if there were another focal point.

The media relationships, which Carr actually acknowledged he would miss, would be better if he had loosened the restraints on his players. Or if he could fib, even a little bit, rather that affix that glare that answered uncomfortable questions visually, even before he tried orally. But that wasn't in him.

The keys to the Michigan football machine get handed over to Rich Rodriguez early this evening, and the transition is a godsend for Wolverines football.

Rodriguez's spread -- a generic term for an offense that can take on multiple personalities dependent upon the personalities within it -- will force Big Ten defenses to adjust to everything he does. The transition should happen as quickly as Rodriguez finds a quarterback to run it -- if that's Terrelle Pryor, the Pennsylvania high school hotshot, so be it -- and when it happens, a new era of Michigan dynasty is forthcoming.

Even if it takes a little longer to find the right triggerman, Rodriguez once coordinated an offense that went 12-0, in a less-developed, less-sophisticated version of the same offense, with a pocket passer, Shaun King, running it. If he can do it at Tulane, he can do it at Michigan.

Michigan will see a eyeful of its future today against defending national champion Florida and its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Tim Tebow.

Michigan had a national championship and a Heisman winner a decade ago, too, and it's hard to get rid of someone with a national championship and a clean program. Failing either of those, you have to wonder how many years Carr actually would have lasted at Michigan.

As the end came, every autumn brought its measure from Ohio State and every winter brought its measure from a bowl opponent.

But when that yardstick shortened to include a summer shocker from Appalachian State's spread offense, the need for change became an imperative.

While the Wolverines end an era today, the Gators perceive this very much as the first game of 2008, when they will be favored to win the national championship, and will have more spread-style pieces in place than at any time in Urban Meyer's three years as coach.

Meyer said he and Rodriguez talk regularly and meet at least once annually. He called Rodriguez an "innovator," and a "perfect match" for Michigan.

In addition to his 1997 national championship and Charles Woodson's Heisman that same year, Carr was best known for developing NFL quarterbacks, including Tom Brady, and for his career-ending string of disappointments against Ohio State and bowl opponents.

Carr's readiness for the job came squarely into question when he took it, under the duress of Gary Moeller's forced resignation. To some, his ability on the job always remained in question. His only other head-coaching job was at Westland John Glenn High School, from 1973-75.

He never had a losing season at Michigan, although 10 of his teams lost three or more games. Thirteen years later, his disappointments this decade have outstripped his successes, just as has happened at Florida State and Penn State. His defenses could not stop spread offenses, and now his successor will use one.

"It's the era we're in," Carr said. "It'll be interesting to see where we go in college football. Certainly, the quarterback, as a running back, has made it much more difficult defensively."